Djourou ‘happy’ with season so far

Switzerland defender Djourou missed virtually the whole of last
term and the World Cup after undergoing surgery on a serious knee
problem. With the 24-year-old having been out for so long, manager
Arsene Wenger was keen to ease him back into action this season.
But with Thomas Vermaelen having been sidelined since September and
new signings Sebastien Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny also
suffering problems with fitness and form, Djourou has found himself
thrown in at the deep end. It looked like being a memorable
campaign for everyone at Arsenal when the club were competing on
four fronts two months ago. The dramatic unravelling of their
quadruple quest means it cannot come to an end quickly enough for
many of their players. But, for Djourou, simply becoming a
first-team regular after what he has been through is reason enough
to celebrate. He told Arsenal TV Online: “That’s what you want to
achieve, to be consistent and playing every game. “That’s what
happening at the moment so I’m very happy. “It was a hard season
last season. “Why it’s even greater is that things turned out that
quickly. “Because, you never know, a guy can come back from injury
and not be the same. “In my case, I think I came back stronger.”
Djourou has started 32 games in all competitions this season but
has not lost the tingle of excitement of running out on to the
field in front of tens of thousands of supporters. “Every time you
walk on the pitch, you have that adrenaline in you that says,
‘That’s it – it’s your time’,” he said. “It’s a really special
feeling to see all those people coming to watch you and support
you. “I know a lot of people who’d like to have that in their
lives.”